Fear of Flying by Kate Allen

Author:Kate Allen [Kate Allen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ambiguous Ink Press via Indie Author Project
Published: 2021-03-02T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 20

“Let’s do something for New Years,” he says. “If you’re free.”

She looks away. “I actually-I have plans.”

His heart sinks. For a second he wonders if he’s misread something, or everything.

She sighs. “I’m going to visit my family.”

He stares at her, silently.

She nods. “I mean at the cemetery,” she says, holding his gaze. “It’s this weird thing that Ella and I used to do every year. We wait up with them until midnight and then have a toast. I know, it’s so morbid.”

He’s still processing her words but quickly shakes his head. “No, not at all.” He can’t decide if that tradition is creepy or merely eccentric. “Wait, you’re planning to stay up alone at the cemetery tonight?” Any night it would be dangerous, but especially New Years’ Eve when everyone was drunker than usual. “That doesn’t seem safe.”

“I’ll be waiting in my car,” she says.

Still… “I’ll come with you.” He still hasn’t decided how he feels about this ritual, but he knows he can’t let her go alone, for a few reasons. He figures this is why he’s noticed a change in her the past week. She must be dreading this New Years’ Eve more than usual without Ella.

She gazes up at him. “I know we’re, um…seeing each other, but I’d never ask you to come with me to this,” she says. “It’s really too much.”

“If you don’t want me to come, I won’t. But I want to be there for you.”

She leans against the kitchen counter and stares at him. “Really? You want to spend your New Years’ Eve in a graveyard?”

“No. I want to spend my New Years’ Eve in a graveyard with you.”

She rolls her eyes. “I won’t be any fun to be around. I’m going to be a mess probably all day.”

He shrugs. “That’s fine. You’re not that fun normally,” he teases.

She smiles. “It’ll be worse than usual.”

“Still,” he says. “I’m in.”

* * *

“I take it you don’t believe in ghosts?”

Despite her warning, Liv’s mood has remained even-keeled throughout the night. She takes another sip of canned wine staring ahead at the row of slate gray headstones. “No. You?”

Now that he knew that the cemetery was south of Roxbury, he was especially glad that he accompanied her. They’d arrived an hour ago, driving up to the gate just as the groundskeeper was about to lock it and Liv had hopped out. The old man recognized her and seemed disappointed when he saw Collin in the driver’s seat. Liv gravely continued talking and the old man’s face fell and he nodded, letting them drive in and loosely setting the padlock over the wrought-iron gates without securing it.

“He’s letting us in?” Collin had asked as Liv pointed down the road to one side in a sea of granite headstones.

“He’s been here since Ella and I started coming when I was twelve,” Liv said. “She had a complete meltdown the first time we did this on New Years’ Eve when he tried to kick us out and he’s let us do it every year.

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